*edit: I think im going to post this elsewhere as well, I ended up writing much more than I originally planned!
If you have the greensheet where you are, that would be a wonderful place to advertise. I have before, and since its a free paper, you get alot of readers. The pricing is also very reasonable! Don't go for the chronicle at first, unless you want to spend massive amounts of dough. There are better and more efficient ways to spend your hard earned money. There are also many other ways to advertise as well. Ill give you a few more here since marketing is something I have experience with.
1.) Business cards (Of Course!) You can get 1000 printed in color for a cool 100 bucks.
2.) Flyers - Go to resturaunts and other establishments, ask them if you can post up on thier door or bulletin board. You can give incentives such as 10% off with Code X and a 15% off for all employees of the establishment.
3.) Neighborhood monthly book advertising, those are usually pretty cheap to advertise in. Also you can do, as it came to affectionately be known to me, a flyer run, which is where u go door to door and put a flyer on there.
4.) For big companies, try calling them, you'd be surprised at the responses you can get. You can also offer to send them a package, witha flyer and info on your company along with some pictures of your clothing, which could help with your chances of getting a face to face meeting.
Things to remember
1.) Remember to back your stuff up with contracts, trademarks, etc. Always watch your back!
2.) Also, presentation means ALOT. Your flyers should be color if possible, and on good paper.
3.) Your package that you send the big companies should be on a custom package, not a manilla envelope.
4.) Your company info and stuff should be on good quality paper, such as resume paper.
5.) The folder in which you send to them should be a custom folder, and get creative with it. Scent it if you can, because you are in the clothing industry! Companies sell folders with slits in the pocket where u can put your business card in, put 2 or 3. Ideas for the folder can be like a pop up style, etc. THink outside the box, these companies get generic stuff all day long and you want yours to stand out more than the rest.
6.) Diversify your advertising, grandma was right when she said not to put all your eggs in a basket. Marketing is funny like that. Smart marketers market thier product or services in various avenues, then measure the results and narrow down to the marketing avenues that work best. Foolish ones have one avenue, and when it fails, they are stuck like a duck.
7.) Which brings me to this one. Track your marketing. When I advertised in the Greensheet in 3 different areas, I put one of these 3 on the bottom for each area, 'Ask for Ben', 'Ask for Mr. W', 'Ask for Mr. Win'. Then when they called in and they asked for the respective name I knew where it came from. Your flyers could have a promotional code for each location, to help track your results.
8.) Cell Phone : Try to get a number that is easy to remember, I dont know how my cousin does it, but he can somehow get the numbers he wants. If you can't thats ok too.
9.) Voicemail : Make it professional. It should have some type of hello, your name, company name, request for thier name, number, and a brief message, and a thank you. Preferably in that order. Example: 'Hi, you've reached Benjamin with Centercorp, I am currently unavailable to take your call at this moment however, if you leave your name, number, and a brief message, I will be sure to return your call as soon as possible, thanks and have a great day.'
10.) Always answer your phone with your name. Example: 'This is Benjamin'. You can also add a how can I help you or something. Never answer your phone with just a 'Hello' or 'Hi'. In the business world that's suicide.
11.) It is mandatory you remember thier names for future conversations. It goes a LONG way. Get in the practice of asking for thier name close to the beginning of the conversation, then incorporating it into the conversation, this way it becomes personal and more professional. Example: 'Can I get your name sir? Hi Benjamin, how can I help you today?'.......'Well Benjamin, this is what I can do for you sir.'...'Thanks for calling Benjamin, Goodbye' It sounds much better than, 'Well, this is what I can do for you sir.' or 'Thanks for calling, Goodbye'.
12.) Write everything down that you can. I usually always carry a spiral or notebook of somekind with a pen handy. Client name, Company name, representative name, number you can reach them, notes about the conversation, and time called are all good notes to take.
13.) Keep all your promises as much as you possibly can. I can understand having to rechedule a meeting, but anything else is no good. If you say you are going to call them at this time, call them. Following up on calls is very very important.
14.) One step at a time. Don't get too far ahead of yourself, you dont want to be overpromising and underdelivering. Take well planned steps.
15.) Don't bite off more than you can chew. Everyone starts at the bottom.
16.) Plan everything. Get a Franklin planner, a good one. A good planner will keep your priorities straight and your tasks efficient. It's a life saver and helps prevent the stress of unorganized, crowded thoughts.
All of these will help you look very professional and help people remember your company better and in turn will help you in achieving your end goal: get your company out there. You want them to think, wow, that was very professional, nothing less. Anything less gets forgotten, and can even hurt you. You dont want someone you spoke to talking down on your company when they hear someone mention it. I hope this helps, if you need any more tips I have plenty more. Since you are in Texas you can even call me, but email me or pm me first, ill give you my number there. Or you could just respond here, that way others can grab these tips too.
-Benjamin
